The Longest Place Name In The World

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapiki-maungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu holds the world record for being the longest place name on the entire planet, at the length of 85 characters. 

This 1,000-foot hill on the North Island of New Zealand is named after Tamatea, who was a legendary Maori explorer who traversed across the vast lands of New Zealand. To honor his exploits, the Maori people named a hill after him, and to show their true adoration, they used an entire sentence. The 85-character toponym translates literally to “the summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the slider, climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one.”

Although the 85-charcter toponym is the official name, there are many other versions of the name that are less commonly used - for example, “Taumata-whakatangihanga-koauau-o-Tamatea-haumai-tawhiti-ure-haea-turi-pukaka-piki-maunga-horo-nuku-pokai-whenua-ki-tana-tahu,” which has 105 letters and translates to “the hill of the nose-flute playing by Tamatea - who was blown hither from afar, had a slit penis, grazed his knees climbing mountains, fell on the earth, and encircled the land - to his beloved.”

Regardless of whether it’s spelled with 85 letters or 105, this hill remains the Guinness Book of World Records leader for longest place name, and has become a tourist attraction for geography and word nerds from across the globe.